Making progress: Bipartisan coalition leads the way

Sunday

Jul 28, 2013 at 12:01 AMJul 28, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Getting work done in Washington requires a certain amount of bipartisan action or stalemate prevails, which is why I joined the No Labels Coalition in January, now 81 members strong from the Senate and House of Representatives.

Last week, we witnessed a real milestone as our group introduced nine legislative proposals aimed at reducing waste and inefficiency. The entire legislative package is called Making Government Work! All were developed by lawmakers, who’ve been meeting since January working on issues and drafting legislation both sides can agree upon.

Problem Solvers

The No Labels members are sometimes referred to as Problem Solvers, which is the goal.

We gathered outside the Capitol to make the announcement as a group on July 18 to show we mean business,s as there is strength in numbers. What the No Labels Coalition is accomplishing did not escape the view of former Philadelphia broadcaster Michael Smerconish, originally from Bucks County, who covered the event. He observed: “Good news, after all,” he said. “Something is being done in Washington.” More on my website.

Protecting Our Privacy

As votes go in Washington, the Amash-Conyers Amendment to clarify the limits of NSA domestic spying was one of the more interesting votes and debates I have watched in my time in Congress.

The debate crossed party lines at a level I have never seen. Hopefully, it can serve as a starting point for more across-the-aisle-conversation for more Problem Solving in Washington.

While the amendment did not pass, by a narrow margin, its strong bipartisan support should put the president on notice about the serious concerns many members of Congress, and Americans, have about the overreach of government agencies like the NSA.

It’s important that the personal privacy and liberty of law-abiding constituents be protected.

Korean War Remembered

Last Friday, we once again paid tribute to the men and women who served in the Korean War. July 27 marked the 60th anniversary of the Armistice. For the last 14 years, Bucks County has commemorated the end of the Korean War with a ceremony in the memorial garden adjacent to the courthouse in Doylestown where I was honored to speak.

Those who returned home in the early 1950s took their place at the table of American prosperity in steel mills, factories, farms and business and helped our nation grow.

The event was organized again in its 14th year by Jerry Jonas, of Middletown, who, as a 22-year-old, was a fighting Marine in Korea. I mentioned in my remarks Jerry and former Bucks County Commissioner Roger Bowers and Joe Slemmer, both of Bensalem. Each is symbolic of their generation; each served with distinction. Commissioner Bowers was a 17-year-old high school junior when he joined the Navy, serving on a ship off the Korean coast, while Joe Slemmer was an 18 year-old seaman on a Navy carrier.

We acknowledge their service and the people of South Korea who endured and thrive in freedom. The Forgotten War may be a misnomer. We go to Doylestown each year to honor the brave, who were the sentinels of freedom — now in possession of a glorious history that marks their generation.

Boy Scout Jamboree

I’ve been involved in Scouting most of my life and remain a strong advocate for the organization. Last weekend, I attended the Boy Scout Jamboree, as part of am Eagle Scout congressional delegation. It was the first Boy Scout Jamboree in West Virginia and attracted 40,000 to Mt. Hope, making it the “third largest city” in West Virginia at the time. Fayette County is a scenic panorama of rolling countryside, mountains, valleys, pine trees as far as the eye can see — and poverty.

We can’t overlook the other view of West Virginia where people who led such hard scrabble lives in mines and other non-existent jobs are suffering even more in this economy. The proud residents of Appalachia seek opportunity, like all Americans.

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents Pennsylvania’s 8th District, which includes all of Bucks County and a portion of Montgomery County. He is vice chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

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